Enrollment in the Pleasant Valley Community School District is increasing at an exponential rate, thus, creating larger class sizes. This has prompted the building of a new elementary school for the PV district.
Forest Grove Elementary School is currently being built on Forest Grove Road in the north end of Bettendorf. The school is expected to be open for the 2021-2022 school year. It will hold two classrooms per grade level allowing for an enrollment of 338 students.
The addition of a new school is necessary and is being built “to meet the current and future enrollment needs of our growing district,” according to PVCSD superintendent Brian Strusz. The district is seeing an increase of around 100 kids per year.
The design plan for the school is primarily based off Hopewell Elementary, which opened in 2011.
Strusz stated that the building “will employ approximately 22 faculty members. In addition, we will have two office staff and a number of paraprofessionals.” There will also be four rooms designated for students with disabilities. Many are looking forward to this new building as it will allow for a lower teacher-to-student ratio, which creates a better learning environment for adolescents.
Another key feature of the design is the construction of eight tennis courts and eight pickle ball courts. The district has partnered with the City of Bettendorf to make this happen. Kiran Marla, senior tennis player, stated that “there is not enough room for 65 people to play on only 8 courts [at the high school], and I like the idea of creating new tennis courts.”
There will be a “large green space that will allow for various sports such as soccer, baseball and softball,” said Strusz. The City of Bettendorf also redid the road which removed the crown and lowered the street height. The city also implemented a painted center line, something that was not previously there. The anticipated completion of the building is creating a spur of excitement throughout the district.
The new school will reduce classroom sizes across the five current elementary schools, something that many parents have been concerned about. The construction of this school is a testament to Pleasant Valley’s student enrollment and will be a pleasant addition to the north side of Bettendorf.
Julia Necker • Sep 30, 2019 at 11:09 am
It is great they are building another school to reduce class size. They have also made the high school bigger but I wonder if the junior high will have enough room for the increased number of students?
Addie Even • Sep 26, 2019 at 6:57 pm
I had no clue they started building the school already. I think it’s super interesting how there will be lots of tennis courts and pickleball courts.